"So, what do I do now?" Elizabeth folded her hands in her lap and tried to keep her voice steady and as confident as she could manage. The driver sighed.

"Now, my dear, you perform the next step- keeping Daddy following the trail of breadcrumbs."

"Then what?"

"Then you'll be free as a dove released."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "You're gonna kill him."

The man in the front of the car chuckled. "You're so adorable."

"A-am I?"

"An absolute gem."

The girl hung her head. What would you do, Dad? She rolled her eyes at herself. Of course. You'd escape. A sigh released from her lips. But how? How am I supposed to get out of this? They'll kill me! ...They'll kill you anyway, Liz. Elizabeth bit back warm tears. Yeah. Yeah, they will. And there's nothing I can do…

"Where to start?" John relaxed in the back of the cab. Sherlock drew out his mobile from his coat pocket.

"We start with Elizabeth." A number was dialed. The detective raised the phone to his ear.

Watson blinked. "Wait a second. Do you have her-" A gloved hand silenced the doctor.

"Of course I have her number. She laid it down on the coffee table. How could you possibly have not- Oh, hello, Elizabeth."

"Hello, Sherlock." The young lady's voice came from the other side of the line. "Something you needed?"

"I'm sorry we didn't get to speak much about this friend that is in danger before my brother so rudely interrupted."

Elizabeth paused. "That- that's okay, that's alright."

Holmes put on his sweetest voice. "Well, I'd like to make it up to you. How about we choose a place to speak alone, just you and me? Would that be alright?"

Another pause. "Yeah. That'd be fine."

"I've got the perfect place. 3807 St. Mary Avenue. Hard to miss. That okay for you?"

"Y-yes. It's fine."

"Good. How does right tonight sound?"

"...Fine."

"Fine, good. See you there."

"Yeah."

The mobile was hung up. John's mouth was released.

The doctor smiled. "Giving them a place you chose. Clever."

"It should slow Jim a little, but not by much. I'll still have the upper hand, however. I know my way around that place."

The door to the dark, empty building opened without a creak. Elizabeth's heart beat fast with anxiety.

A shorter man stepped inside. "Hello? Elizabeth?"

Liz swallowed. "Good evening, Doctor Watson. And... where would Mister Holmes be?"

John shifted his weight to one foot. "Er, Sherlock's a bit, uh, tied up right now."

"Tea, Sherlock?"

Holmes had eyed John strangely. "...Thanks." The china cup had been taken, looked at... smelled. An eye roll. "John, this is drugged."

"Oh." John's eyes darted to the left. "Is it?

"What are you trying to pull?"

Watson threw his arms into the air. "Pull? I'm not pulling anything!"

"John-"

A bat was swung. A detective fell unconscious to the floor with a 'thud'.

"For your own good, Sherlock."

One doctor left the flat, closing the door softly behind.

Elizabeth almost sighed with relief. Dad's safe... for now. "So, about my friend..."

"Elizabeth, you can stop pretending. I know it's a trap. And I'm getting you out of here."

Liz was prepared to jump into her knight in shining armor's arms and run off into the sunset, but she spied a red light on John's forehead and gasped inwardly.

Watson's head tilted. "Elizabeth? What's wrong?"

The girl didn't answer. Or move, for that matter. What could she do? Warn John about the dot on his head and risk a killing shot? Tell John to run and risk a killing shot? Warn and risk a shot to her own back? Giving up on ideas, the girl called out. "Please! Don't do this! He's not the one you want! Let him go!"

"Aw, look." A voice came from no discernible place in the building. "We got Cutie! Shame. I wanted Sexy." A sigh. "Away with him."

John exclaimed and fell to the ground as a shot was given to his back. Elizabeth screamed.

The voice piped up once again. "Oh, calm down. It's just a tranquilizer. It's not gonna kill him!"

"What do you want from him?!"

"I don't want anything from him, honey. Although, it will be much easier getting Sherly this way.."

Two arms grabbed Elizabeth from behind- one wrapping around her arms and middle, and one clamping over her mouth- and pulled her outside the building.